


Least Expected

by warlockdetective



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied Abduction, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22398706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warlockdetective/pseuds/warlockdetective
Summary: After a moment, the man pulled out a box of cards. You were about to resign yourself to the fact that you reallywerestuck there, but then...Or a story including a cage, a walkie-talkie, and a box for cards.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Least Expected

**Author's Note:**

> This was admittedly largely inspired by one of the tropes mentioned on [this post](https://tygermama.tumblr.com/post/189067523227/stuff-i-like-when-the-person-kidnapped-by-the).  
> This can be read as either an alternate scene for The Bad Beginning or something not quite linked to the books at all.  
> Honest feedback is appreciated.

You stopped listening to the man's taunts a while ago; they were all essentially the same "I've triumphed now and soon your fortune will be mine!" sort of spiel, and frankly your attitude regarding it all had shifted from fear, annoyance, and finally boredom under the course of just twenty minutes. The man was clearly trying to get a reaction out of you, and when you weren't giving him anything, he would try something else. Not only that, the man had nothing on him that could cause any real harm as far as you were aware; if he did, you could do him _much greater_ harm.

It seemed as if you weren't the only one bored, for after another long spiel, the count let out an aggravated sigh. _Good_ , you thought to yourself, but it also seemed a little disappointing; sure, you had expected to annoy the man as much as you could, but you also thought you would be out of the cage by now. For a brief moment, you wondered if he had a better hold on the situation than you had initially given him credit for, only for the sudden crackle of a walkie-talkie to interrupt your thoughts.

"Oh thank **fuck** , I've had enough of this," the count grumbled as he brought himself to a stand. Why he didn't have the walkie-talkie next to him seemed inconvenient to you, but you couldn't really bring yourself to care. You couldn't quite catch who he was on the other end with, but you knew it had to be one of his henchpeople; you could recognize your siblings' voices anywhere, and the voice on the other end (while heavily distorted from the poor reception) didn't sound a thing like either of them.

After a moment, you were given the answer in the form of the hook-handed man entering the room, another walkie-talkie in his grasp. Before he could say a word, the count spat out, "You're on guard duty now. I'm sure I'll get more amusement from the other Baude-brats when I find them."

" _If_ ," you interjected, but the sound of the door slamming shut behind him came the moment the word left you. Silence was all that filled the room for a moment, and it was when you began to wonder if that would be all there was when the hook-handed man took the seat the count had occupied prior. There was silence still, and it was enough to let you sit in your thoughts.

You didn't like the thoughts that came to you then. You didn't like the thought of the count finding your siblings, and you _especially_ didn't like the thought that maybe his words weren't just to get a rise out of you. You didn't like the fear, and you didn't like the fact that in the present circumstances you were technically powerless; you tried biting through the cage bars long before the count left, but it wouldn't budge.

After a moment, the hook-handed man pulled a box of cards out from one of his pockets. You were about to resign yourself to the fact that you really _were_ stuck here, but then you found yourself caught off-guard. With a quick knock on the bars, he got your attention, and it was then that you noticed what was actually in the box. Before you could even _think_ about saying a word, he gave a quick shush as he pulled a key from the box of cards.

"The boss just _left this_ laying around," he spoke in a hush, "Took it the moment I knew I could." The cage's door opened with an agonizing sort of _creak_ , and he winced a little at the sound. Carefully, he took you out of the cage and held you in as much of a cradle as he could. You tried to speak again, but with another shush he spoke, "We don't have much time to spare, but I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?"

_Oh._ Oh, no wonder he had been so quiet before: he was listening for footsteps before he opened the cage.

And without another word, the hook-handed man began to move quickly, determined to keep his words true.


End file.
